Gunze Ukiyo-e Collection on Display in Yabu City, Hyogo
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Gunze Ukiyo-e Collection on Display in Yabu City, Hyogo Gunze Museum in Kyoto lends its prints to "Special Exhibition of Gods Depicted in Ukiyo-e" organized by Yabu City
Osaka-Gunze Limited (Headquarters: Osaka, Japan, President: Toshiyasu Saguchi) [TOKYO: 3002] is pleased to announce that the Gunze Museum in Ayabe City, Kyoto, the birthplace of the company, is lending twelve ukiyo-e prints from the Gunze ukiyo-e collection for a "Special Exhibition of Gods Depicted in Ukiyo-e" to be held at the Exhibition Hall of the Yabu City Civic Exchange Square from February 17 to March 3, 2024.
Gunze and Yabu City have a long history. It began operations in 1914 as Yabu Silk Factory, and after several changes of business type, continued until it closed as G M Electronics in 2009. The office and its former site are now used as the Yabu City Civic Exchange Square (nicknamed YB Fab).
It is said that there are "eight million gods" in Japan. Japanese people had a strong desire to bring good luck and to honor things, and it seems that they had a custom of keeping gods close to them as talismans or lucky charms by depicting them in paintings that people bought. In this exhibition, we invite you to become familiar with these gods that were familiar to the people who raised silkworms through ukiyo-e.
Gunze is committed to building friendly relationships with society and pursuing sustainability with local communities.
About Ukiyo-e prints in the exhibition
Ukiyo-e is a type of Japanese woodblock print that was popular from the Edo period to the Meiji period, many ukiyo-e prints were created to depict the lifestyle, customs and fashions of the time, with nishiki-e, or multi-coloured woodblock prints, being particularly popular with people. This ukiyo-e exhibition presents a collection of 12 prints depicting various deities. While the conventional association with divine depictions in ukiyo-e art often centers on the seven gods of fortune aboard a treasure ship, this exhibition expands the narrative to include diverse depictions. In particular, it includes images depicting the god of sericulture alongside the seven gods of fortune engaged in the cultivation of silkworms, as well as depictions of cats as talismans to ward off rats.
About Special exhibition of Gods depicted in ukiyo-e
Exhibition period & time
From Saturday, February 17 to Sunday, March 3 09:00-17:00 Closed on Mondays
Place
Yabu Shimin Koryu Hiroba Exhibition Hall 538-1 Yoka, Yoka-cho, Yabu City, Hyogo
Admission
Free
Hosted
Yabu City, Yabu City Board of Education
Contact
Yabu City Community Development Cultural Exchange Division TEL: +81-79-662-0071
Support
GUNZE Limited, Gunze Museum, Yoka High School
”Yabu Citizens Exchange Plaza" built on the former Gunze Yabufactory site (Photo courtesy of Yabu City)
About photo exhibition " Hyogo Prefectural Sericulter High School”.
Hyogo Prefectural Yoka High School, originally established in 1897 as Hyogo Prefectural Sericulture School under the then-existing Hyogo Prefectural Ordinance, underwent a name change to Hyogo Prefectural Sericulture School in 1901. Drawing students not only from the former Yabu district and Tajima, but also from all over western Japan, the institution's importance extended beyond regional boundaries. In 1908, a women's section was opened, attracting students from various parts of the country who took advantage of the educational opportunities while living in specially built dormitories. This was a crucial period in which sericulture played a central role in the country's export industry.
The upcoming exhibition will feature archival photographs that capture the early years of the Sericulture School, tracing its evolution from its founding to today's Hyogo Prefectural Yoka High School. The historical journey will be presented through informative panels, offering a visual narrative of the school's transformation over time.
About Gunze
Gunze was founded in 1896 by Tsurukichi Hatano in Ikaruga Ward (now Ayabe City) to promote the local silkworm industry. The founder had an enthusiastic determination to contribute to the development of his hometown community by promoting the local silk industry. He believed that this should serve as Ikaruga's policy, so he named his company Gunze Silk Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (later renamed Gunze Limited), with "Gunze" meaning "district policy" in Japanese. Today, Gunze is a leading designer and manufacturer of plastic films, engineering plastics, medical devices, apparel and other products. Gunze employs more than 5,200 people in 10 countries around the world.
Contacts
Press
Gunze Limited Corporate Communication Department TEL： 81-6-6348-1314 (Shinji Nonaka)
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